It is desirable to transfer data over a network in a fast and secure manner. In conventional network data transfer systems, an interface for one or more host computers may communicate over a variety of networks, such as a SCSI or FibreChannel network. In conventional systems, a data request is made and data is sent from a data source to the host's interface. Generally, the interface must wait to receive all data before the data can be processed and the checksum computed. This requirement slows the processing of data.
Ideally, data should be received and passed to the application programs with as little copying as possible since each copy operation has an adverse effect on latency. This concept is known as “zero copy.” In addition, it is desirable to include a checksum in data packets to ensure that the packet has not become corrupted in some way. Many conventional packet protocols include a checksum that includes the transmitted data.